Heartbeat
by LitBlueEyed
Summary: A continuation story of After Shock (part 1) "Suddenly, a horror-stricken gasp breaks the peace! Starfire's embrace grasps round Robin's chest and swings him into the dirt, and she sacraficially inserts herself in his position in the nick of time to take the blow of Terra's plummeting boulder."


Heartbeats

(I do not own the Teen Titans)

First heartbeat: Both dart forward and cross positions!

Second heartbeat: Both lunge forth in air!

Third heartbeat: Grasp each other's two-hand grip!

Fourth heartbeat: In flight, Starfire swings the Boy Wonder! Release! Robin delivers a steel-toed kick into Cinderblock! The impact locks in contact with the monster's stone chest and blasts him hundreds of feet from the cliff, causing the earth to tremble at his collision with the ground.

With a grin of triumph and pride for his friend, Robin tumbles to the earth, checks his balance, and darts for the edge of the cliff to check the damage, Starfire floating down beside, cheering! They had finally nailed that move "Victory at last!" He cracks his fists; his eyes lock onto the villain's unconscious form.

… All was quiet…

Suddenly, a horror-stricken gasp breaks the peace! Starfire's embrace grasps round Robin's chest and swings him into the dirt, and she inserts herself in his position in the nick of time to take the blow of a plummeting boulder. With the sound of an explosion and sudden scream from Robin, it strikes Starfire's form, hurling her from the cliff and into a sea of ravaging waves! A horrible geomancer snickers and hovers away.

"**STARFIRE!"** Robin broke from the ground, delivering the bloody, raspy cry of fear, worry, and horror.

First heartbeat: The fear! The angst! Both send him diving off the cliff after her. His best friend hits the water! The emotions stir up, clutch his stomach, and wells up in the tears hidden by his masked eyes. The sky threatens to weep with the boy.

Second heartbeat: "Starfire! I'm coming!" He belts out, airborne.

Third heartbeat: He cannot breathe! He is too afraid to think! *SPLASH!*

Fourth heartbeat: he makes contact with the icy caress of the water, ravaging through the push and pull of the waves. He flails, desperately searching for a trace of color in the clouded, murky water. _Starfire where are you! Please! _His lungs are tested—strained to the point to when they can no longer function. _Please! Anything! Starfire! Where are you?…Where are you…_

There! He catches the sight of orange, red, purple, and trial of spewing blood, shrouded in a haze of murky water. He dives down furiously, makes contact with her unconscious form, gently grabs ahold of her arms, and locks them around his waist, desperately swimming to kiss the surface.

With violent gasping, he reaches air and gently pulls poor Starfire onto his chest, tearing up at the sound of fragile heartbeats. Her head and arms lopped over on his shoulder. One hand grasped around her lower thigh to keep her above the surface, he swims and swims for the both of them, flailing through the push and pull of the violent current. Through the chaos of the whitewash, he sobs without a worry of someone seeing. "Almost there Star! Hang in there!"

Without warning, the tide recoils and spits, blasting the two forms. Too protective to release his grip, Robin takes the full blow and hits the ridge of a peaking rock, being choked by the impact of the rushing water. Tempted to pass out then and there, with his girl locked in his arms, he witnesses the tide's second recoil.

He listens…One heartbeat: The water recoils, building the form of a tidal wave. _Oh boy…_He ducks down, bringing his knees to the girl's back, and his face close to hers. "Star! I know you can't hear me, but please trust me on this one!"

Second heartbeat: He clutches Starfire closer to his chest, his arms locking around her back and thigh, cradling her above the retreating water.

Third heartbeat: Building… Building… Building… "Here we go!" Robin, the water now clutched around his waist, leaps from the peaking rock, Starfire in his arms, into the explosion of the spitting whitewash. The current blasts them to the grey shore, violently spatting the two upon the gravel…

Pressed upon the shore, Robin arises suddenly looking down at the unconscious Starfire in his hold, soaked and beaten. He quickly set the girl on firmly on the gravel. He places his head upon her chest to check for heartbeats.

"Please Star!" He bellows, "Please come back!"

Without a second warning, he made contact with her mouth, inserting breaths and pressing on her chest to create artificial heartbeats.

_With each sob, press, and mouth-to-mouth contact, flashbacks and voices reap his mind: _

_When they fought off her alien keepers together: "Welcome to earth… Starfire"_

_When they were on the roof: "No one could ever take your place, Starfire" _

_When they were stalemate: "Robin, you are my best friend! I cannot live in a world where we must fight…." _

_When she was trapped in a cocoon: "I'm your friend Starfire. I don't care how you look!" _

_When she hid behind his cape during "Wicked Scary."_

_When he turned to see Starfire in a gown at the Junior Prom: "Robin, your orders were to investigate the girl and I intend to investigate her __thoroughly__. Besides, you could require saving!" _

_And every single time he caught her or she caught him. _

He hunches over and looks down at her closed eyelids, tears and water residue welling up in his mask. "Starfire… We've always been there for each other…please… please be okay." He pressed once more when suddenly…

First heartbeat… Robin froze in anxious shock…

Second heartbeat…

Third heartbeat stronger than the second… _Star?_

Fourth heartbeat stronger than the other… His eyes widened. "Star!"

Fifth heartbeat and… Starfire stirs dramatically, choking on the water and coughing it up. Relief pours over the battered boy, causing a cheer to erupt.

Her eyes flickered. "R-Robin?" She weakly murmurs. Robin launches himself into her arms, seizing her from the gravel with explosive joy. "Star! I… thought I lost you back th-I… I didn't know what… Oh! I can't believe! He buries his face into her shoulder. "Don't you ever take a hit for me again!"

"R-Robin… we… always must be… there…" She gasped weakly, "for each other…"

He embraces her gently, pulling her closer

It's a secret, yet mutual promise: To preserve each heartbeat. That is what they and the rest of the Titans must do.


End file.
